Disappearing door structure



Aug. 23, 1932. A. L. ABBOTT ET AL 1,873,247

DISAPPEARING DOOR STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 9, 1951 6 sheets-Sheet i Aug- 23, 1932- A. L. ABBOTT ET Al. 1,873,247

l DISAPPEARING DOOR STRUCTURE ITI'.

A. l.. ABBOTT ET AL 1,873,247

DI SAPPEARING DOOR STRUCTURE Aug. 23, 1932.

Filed Jan. 9, 1931 e sheets-sheet :5

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Aug. 23, l932.

A. L. ABBOTT ET AL DISAPPEARING DOOR STRUCTURE 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 9. 1931 TllIlH H HH IHHu W.Mille r 6E. Miller 26 5M iig. il

www aww 6 Sheets-Sheet `6 armar? A. L. ABBOTT ET AL DISAPPEARING DOOR STRUCTURE Filed Jan. 9. 19.31

Aug. 23, 1932.

Patented Aug. 23,l 1932` vUNITI-:o STATES Prrrlazlail OFFICE ALBERT L. ABBOTT,

AssIGNons To THE DIEBOLD SAFE RATION I' omo WILLIAM C. MILLER, AND CHAnLns L'. MILLER, or CANTON, omo,

& Loox COMPANY, or CANTON, omo, A Conro- DISAIPEARING DOOR STRUCTURE Application led January 9, 1931. Serial No. 507,690.

The invention relates to disappearing door structures, and is particularly adapted to be embodied in a safe, or the like, wherein the door disappears or recedes into a space provided adjacent a side wall thereof.

One form of the invention is embodied in a safe having a door and disengageable pivot connections'between the safe and door about which the door swings in its initial opening and final closing movements. During the major portions of its opening and closing movements, the door swings around the pivotal axes of a double hinge secured to the door` and to a carrier which is mounted in avrunway extending parallel with and adjacent one side wall of the safe, the construction being such that the door is swung from its closed position around the disengageable pivot connections and the pivotal axes of the double hinge into a position wherein it is parallel to the side of the safe along which the runway extends. The door is then locked against movement relative to the carrier and pushed with it along the runway until the door does not roject beyond the front wall of the safe. n auxiliary closure member pivoted to an extension of the door closes the front end of the runway when the door is in its closed position and is so constructed and mounted that it prevents one from inserting ones hands into said runway in such manner that ones lingers will be injured or .cut olf between the door and parts of the runway.

may be provided with interlocking tongues and grooves whenv the safe is to be re and heat resisting.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan view, partly in section, illustrating a safe which embodies the improved disappearing door structure, the

vdoor being illustrated in its closed position and being provided ywith portions interlocking with the tongued and .grooved door frame.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partlyin section, similar to Fig. l, and shows the door in a position intermediate itsfully closed and fully opened positions. v

Fig. 3 is a top plan View, partly in section,

similar to Fig. 1, and showing the door in a position which permits movement of the door and the carriage along the runway.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view, partly in section,

and showing the door and the carriage moved into their extreme retracted positions in the runway. l

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional view of certain parts of the apparatus which support the door, the parts being substantially in the same they are shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5*L is an enlarged fragmentary transverse sectional View showing the parts illustrated in Fig. 5, the door being shown in substantially the same position whereinl it is shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary view with portions in section as they appear when looking Vin the direction of the arrows 6--6 of Fig. 3. f

. Fig. 7 is a detached plan view of the car-I riage, the upper tracks for the runway being indicated in their relative positions by dot and dash lines. A-

Fig. 8 is another detached view' of the bottom end of the carriage, the tracks for the lower vpart of the runway being indicated by dot and dash lines. v

Fig. 9 is a front elevation, partly broken away, of the safeas it appears when the door is in its closed position.

Fig. 10 is a front elevation, partly in section, ofthe safe as'it appears when thedoor is in its closed position. y

Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the safe looking in the direction of the arrows 11-11 of positions as Fig. 10, portions of the safe being broken,l

extreme retracted or disappearing position, some parts of the apparatus being broken away.

compartment indicated generally at 11, a

monolithic heat and lire resisting shell indicated generally at 12 and enclosing the compartment 11, the shell being preferably provided with tension re-enforcing means indicated generally at 13, and the shell and compartment being enclosed in an external metallic case indicated generally at 14.

The front wall of the safe as illustrated is in the form of a door frame 15 having a doorway 16 formed therein.

door indicated generally at 17 is mounted in the novel manner hereinafter set forth in detail for swinging movement to and from closing positionpinpthe doorway, and the inner side, top, and bottom faces of the door frame and the outer side, top, and bottom faces of the door are preferably tongued and grooved with each other as illustrated, vfor interfltting with each other when the door is swung to` closing position, whereby when the door is closed there is no direct passageway for heator flames to the interior of the compartment 11 between the door and the door frame.

The tonguing and grooving of the door and door frame may be of any usual arrangement, and the door may be provided with any usual bolt-work indicated generally by 18, and controlled in a usual manner by a lock which may be a combination lock 19.

At one sidelof the safe preferably parallel with the side wall 20 thereof and at right angles 'tothe front wall or door 'frame 15, a door carriage guide frame indicated generally by 21 extends preferably from the corner junction of the door frame 15 with the side wall 20.

The carriage guide frame 21 extends rearwardly from the door frame 1 5, and a door receiving opening 22 is formed in the front end wall 23 of the guide frame.

The guide frame 21 includes an upper horizontal guide track 24 and a lower horizontal guide track 25 extending parallel with each other and rearwardly from the front end wall 23 of the frame.

A door supporting carriage indicated generally by 26is rollerl mounted for movement in the guide frame from the front end to the rear end thereof, as by means of laterally and longitudinally spaced upper rollers 27 mounted. for rotation about vertical axes on the upper end of the carriage 26 and rolling on opposite sides of the upper track 24, and a lower roller 28 'mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis on the lower end of the carv twistinor transmits the vertical component to the topy of the lower track 25.

The upper rollers 27, rolling against the opposite sides of the upper track 24, prevent and lateral movement of the upper end of the carriage; and for preventing twisting and lateral movement of the lower end of the carriage,"1aterally and'longitudinally spaced lower rollers 29 are mounted for rotation at one side of the lower end of the carriages 26, and a secondary track 25 is located in the frame 21 and laterally spaced from the track 25 and the lower rollers 29 roll against opposite sides of the tracks 25 and 25.

The door 17 preferably includes sheet metal walls forming an outer shell 30, the interior of which is filled with heat resisting material 31 and tension re-enforcing 32, and

the front wall 33 of the shell 30 extends beyond the tongued and grooved side face 34 of the door adjacent the guide frame and when the door is in closed position the front wall 33 extends yacross and closes the door reeiv'ing front end opening 22 of the guide rame.

The door 17 is supported by and mounted for swinging on the carriage 26 preferably by double hinge means indicated generally at 35, and when the carriage is at the front end of the guide frame, the door is adapted for swinging movement to and from closing position in the doorway.

Latch means 35 arepreferably mounted on the carriage 26 andpermit swinging of the door from closing position in the door-way to a position in alinement with the door receiving opening 22 of the guide frame 21, where the latch means 35 releasably engage the door and the carriage in position permitting movement of the door backwards into the guide frame.

Novel'adjustable tension means for maintaining the carriage in door sustaining position are indicated generally at 36, and the tension means preferably include a flexible member 37 which may be a chain as illustrated and the upper end 37 a of the flexible member 37 is connected to the upper end of the earriage 26, and the lower end 37 b of the flexible member 37 is connected to the lower end of the carriage 26.

Means for sustaining and guiding the load applied to the flexible member 37 are provided preferably by sprocket rollers 38a, 38b and 38; and the sprocket roller 38I is mounted for rotation at the upper rear portion of the frame 21; and the sprocket rollers 38 and 38c are spaced from each other longitudinally of the tracks; and the sprocket 38b is mounted for rotation at the rear lower porportion of the frame 21.

The flexible member passes rearwardly from its upper end 37 aabout the upper roller 38, and thence downwardly about the lower roller 38", 'and thence forwardly about the lower roller 38, and thence upwardly and rearwardly to the connection of its lower end 37b with the lower end of the carriage.

lFor adjusting the tension of the exible member 37, 4a turn-buckle 39 is preferably interposed in the flexible member preferably between the sprocket roller 38a andv the sprocket roller 38". v

Each latch means 35, may include as illustrated a latch arm 40 mounted for rotation about a horizontal axis as on a pivot screw 41 passing through a suitable bearing aperture in the upper end of the arm 40 and screwing into the carriage 26.

Spring means 42 yieldingly urge the lower end of the latch arm 40 towards the front of the guide frame, and a stop 43 may be provided for limiting the forward movement of the latch arm. Y

When the4 door is swung from the open position to the position illustrated in Figs. 3 and 6, the latch means 35 each releasably engage the door with the carriage in position permitting entrance of the door through the door receiving opening 22 into the guide frame.

lVIeansv are provided which operate'to release the latch means 35 from position cngaging the door and the carriage when the carriageis moved to a predetermined forward position, and the latch releasing means may each include a 'stop tongue 44 secured at the front of the guide frame 21 for being abutted by a pin 45 on the cooperating latch arm 40 when .the carriage is moved to its extreme forward position as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 11.

Means are provided for limiting the for- Y ward movement of the carriage 26 and may include a tongue 46 depending from the bottom face at the rear of the door 17 and movable for abutment against a stop 47 extending upwardly from the bottom of the (guide frame 21 (see Figs. 5 and 12).

Protective means are preferably provided for preventing the fingers of an operator of the improved disappearing door safe 10 P from being caught between the hinge side `of the front wall 33 and front end opening ,22 ofthe guide frame 21.

The protective means may include a secondary closure member 6() which is hinge mounted on a plate 33a secured to a bracket 50 mounted on the door 17. The closure member 6() extends over the door receiving opening 22 of the guide frame and is urged in a. counter-clockwise direction (Fig. 5a) by one or more springs a.

erator from being inserted .between the guide' vframe opening and the hinge side of the door wall 33.

The apparatus as thus broadly set forth is adaptable for any type of door, and includes an embodiment of the invention of Albert L. Abbott and William C. Miller, set forth in a companion a plication for United States Letters Patent er. No. 485,959, filed October 2, 1930.

For facilitating seating of the tongued and grooved door 17 into the tongued and grooved door frame 15 the present invention includes, preferably in combination with the foregoing, the co-operative combination of the novel double hinge means 35 with hinge pins 48 mounted at the upper and lower ends of the carriage side of the door frame 15 in the position ordinarily occupied by ordinary 'hinge pins, and each hinge pin 48 co-operates with a rearwardly opening cam slot 49 formed in the bracket 50 mounted on the wall 33 of the `door between the door shell and the carriage.

The double hinge means 35 preferably in'- clude a vertically extending intermediate bar 70 hinge mounted .at one side as at 71 on a vertically extending member or mullion 72 of the carriage 26.

Spring means are provided for normally urging the intermediate bar 70 away from the carriage member 72, and may each include a compression spring 73 located in a horizontally extending socket 74 formed in the intermediate bar "70' and in a preferably removable socket base block 75 secured to the bar 70.

Each spring 73 reacts with the base of its socket and the carrier member or mullion 72 so that it tends to rotate the intermediate bar 70 in a clockwise direction (Figs. 5 and 5a) around the pivotal axis. 71. The bar 70 may rotate in this direction until a surface 70d provided upon it engages the carrier member or mullion 72 (Figs. 2 and 5).

The intermediate bar 70 has a bar 70a secured to it by screws 70b and the bar 7 0a is ivoted at 76 to a hinge member 70" fixed to the plate 33a (Fig. 5a) Y As stated above, the hinge'or cam guide pins 48 extend vertically and are located in the positions which would be occupied by the hinge pins for usually hinging the door shell 30 upon the door` frame 15.

The operation of the improved apparatusA stood that the door will first swing on the pins `48 until the door is disengaged from the tongues and grooves in the 'door frame 15 and until the surface 7 0d on the intermediate bar y abuts against the carriage member or mullion 72. This engagement of the mullion by the surface 7 0d limits further angular displacement of the pivotal axis 7 6 around the axis 71 and thus prevents further movement of the door around the pins 48. The door then swings on the axis 76 untilthe plate 33a engages the mullion 72, whereupon the dopr swings around both of the axes 76 and 71'until it is in the position wherein it is shown in Figs. 3 and 5 and may be pushed back into the guide frame 21. Vhen the door is pushed back into the guide frame, the latch 40 loc'ks it to the carriage 26 so that it can not be displaced around its pivotal axes 71 and 76.

When the door is closed subsequently the hinge means 35, the cam slotted bracket 50 and the pins 48 operate in the reverse manner.

While we have shown and described certain embodiments of our invention, it is to be understood that it is capable of many modifications. Changes, therefore, in the construction and arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as disclosed in the appended claims, in which it is ourintention to claim all novelty inherent in our invention as broadly as possible, inview of the prior art.

What we regard as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. In combination: a structure having a door-opening; a door; disengageable pivot connections between said structure and said door about which the door swings in its initial opening and linal closing movements; a runway extending rearwardly from the plane of said door-opening; a carriage mounted in said runway; and pivotal supports for thedoor carried by said carriage and serving to carry the door to and from the zone of operation of said disengageable pivot connections.

2. The combination as specied in claim 1, in which the pivotal' supports carried by said carriage include a rigid extension with which the door is provided; and double hinge connections between said extension and said car' riage.

3. lIn combination: a structure having a,

door-opening; a -stationary pivot adjacent said door-opening; a door provided with rigid pivot members adapted to coact with said stationary pivot; said door being adapted to swing on said stationary pivot during its initial opening and final closing movements, a runway extending rearwardly from the plane of saidv door-opening; a carriage mounted in said runway and pivotal supports for the door carried by said carriage and serving to carry the door to and from the zone of operation of said stationaryrpivot.

4. The combination as specified in claim 3,

carriage include a rigid extension with which the door is provided; and double hinge con-z nections between rier.

5. In combination: a structure having a door-opening; a door; disengageable pivot connections between said structure and said door about which the door swings in its initial opening and final closing movements; a runway gacarriage mounted in said runway; and double hinge connections betweensaid door and said carriage for carrying the door to and from the zone of operation of said disengageable pivotconnections.

6. The combination as specified in claim 5, in which va latch is provided for locking the door to the carriage to prevent swinging thereof on said double hinge connections.

7. In combination: a structure having a door-opening; a door; disengageable pivot connections between said structure and said said eXte-nsion and said cary'door about which the door swings in its initial opening and final closing movements; a runway extending rearwardly from the plane of said door-opening; a carriage mounted in v said runway; pivotal supports for said door carried by said carriage and serving to carry latch member for locking said door to and against movement relative to said carriage.

8. In combination: a structure having a door-opening; a stationary pivot adjacent said door-opening; a door; a pivoting member carried by said door,L and enga-geable with said stationary pivot, said door being adapt- 'ed to sving around said stationary vpivot during its initial opening and final closing movements; a rigid extension on said doorprojecting beyond said pivoting member; a runway; a carriage mounted in said runway; and pivoting means between said carriage and said rigid extension and serving to carry the v door to and from the zone of operation of said stationary pivot.

9. In combination: a structure having a door-opening; a door; disenga-geable pivot connections between said structure andsaid door about which the door swings in its initial opening and final closing movements; a

runway extending rearwardly from the plane of said door-opening; a carriage mounted in said runway, pivotal supports for the door carried by said carriage and serving to carry `the door to and from the zone of operation way extending rearwardly from said dooropening; a carrier mounted in said runway and equipped with a mullion; an intermediate hinge bar pivoted to said mullion yielding means between said. intermediate hinge bar and said mullion; and asecondary hinge bar rigidly secured to said rigid extension and having a pivotal connection with said intermediate hinge bar, said door being adapted to .swing on the-pivotal connection between said second hinge bar and said intermediate hinge bar to have said rigid extension engage said mullion and displace said intermedi-ate hinge bar against the action of said yielding means.

11. In combination: a structure having a door-opening; a stationary `pivot adjacent said door-opening; a door; a pivoting-member fixed to said door and engageable with said stationary pivot, said door being adapted to swing onsaid stationary pivot during its A initial opening and final closing movements;

a runway extending rearwardly from the plane of said door-opening; a carriage mounted in said runway; double-hinge connections between said carriage and said door including a plurality of hinge members pivoted to each other and yielding means for angularly displacing one of said hinge-members relative to the other.

12. In combination: a door structure having a door-opening a runway extending rearwardly from the plane of said door-opening; a carriage mounted in said runway; a door adapted to close said door-opening; hingedevices through the medium of which said door is mounted on said carriage to swing from the plane of the door-opening into into alignment with said runway and vice versa, said hinge-devices including an extension adapted to close said runway; and a protective guard movably mounted on said extension. f

13. The combination as specified in claim 8, in which said rigid extension carries a movably mounted protective guard which ooacts with said runway.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto aiixed our signatures, this 6 day of January,-

ALBERT L. ABBOTT. WILLIAM C. MILLER. CHARLES E. MILLER. 

